USHMM Individual Profile Cards
INDIVIDUAL PROFILE CARDS UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM Faiga (Fanny) Orenbach was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Łódź, Poland. The family moved to Brussels, Belgium when she was a young child, where her parents became active in the Jewish community. Fanny earned a art degree and designed clothing for the Royal House of Belgium. In May 1938, Fanny married Jacques Aizenberg, and less than a year later, gave birth to a daughter, Josiane. Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940. Jacques left immediately to join the military, and after Belgium was defeated, he evacuated to England. Although she was Jewish, Fanny soon became actively involved in the resistance movement, hiding refugees in her attic. In October 1942, a few months after Fanny’s father was arrested, Fanny put Josiane in hiding. Fanny and her mother, Rivke, also went into hiding, but the Gestapo discovered and arrested them in 1943. They were beaten and taken to the Mechelen (Malines) transit camp. After ten days in Mechelen, Fanny and Rivke were deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Fanny and Rivke were placed in separate lines. Fanny Orenbach Aizenberg Fanny never saw her mother again. Fanny found encouragement from a group of six women. Together, they endured beatings, forced labor in a grenade factory, cruel and painful medical experiments, and the many other Born 1916 horrors of Auschwitz. Łódź, Poland In January 1945, the SS evacuated Auschwitz, sending Fanny and tens of thousands of prisoners on a forced march in frozen temperatures. After four months, Fanny and the other survivors were liberated near the Elbe River by the Soviet Red Army.
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